Six Weeks Later
by InsanityAllowance
Summary: Sequel to A Hot Summer Night. Loki's stayed away from Midgard for as long as he could, but the temptation has grown too great. (Rating for later chapters)
1. One

**Author's note:** This is the sequel to my story "A Hot Summer Night". I'm not sure it makes a whole heap of sense if you haven't read that first. You'll find it in my profile. So go and have a look, I'll wait. *muzak plays* You're back? Awesome! On with the show!

**Disclaimer:** Loki is (sadly) not mine. Neither is anything else created by Marvel that you might recognise.

* * *

Walking between realms wasn't that difficult, if you knew what to look for and how to protect yourself in the in-between place. If your only requirement was to be in the other realm it was child's play, really. Slightly harder was targeting your journey to arrive at a known location in the other realm, thus cutting down the amount of overland distance you needed to travel once there. Harder still was targeting an unknown location based on a description or a set of criteria. At the height of the skill was targeting your journey to arrive by a specific person, regardless of their location within the realm.

Loki was skilled at all of these - and how not, when he'd been using his abilities for so long to come and go from Asgard without notice? - but it was this final application of realm-walking that he employed now. It had been about a month and a half since his last visit to Midgard. In that time the mortal he had passed the night with had never been far from his thoughts but he had resisted the temptation to return for as long as possible. Even now, as he allowed his memories of that night to fill his mind and act as a lodestone, he refused to dwell on why. He also refused to consider what her reaction might be to his appearance after such a delay. Actually, no, that wasn't quite true. He knew what he expected her reaction to be: anger, hurt, betrayal. A part of him felt this would be for the best. She would rant and rave and demand that he never speak to her again, and he would leave and maybe with such an ending he would finally be able to stop thinking of her. Yet there was a part of him that already grieved at the loss, and that part he wasn't sure he understood or wanted to understand.

There. He was close now. Steeling himself, he stepped from the in-between place to find himself in a Midgardian bed chamber. Remaining cloaked in the shadows where he had emerged, he looked around. A chamber-for-hire, he decided, given the lack of personal touches and the large container full of clothes open on a chair. Movement caught his eye and he found himself smiling as she stepped into view. Karla, whom he couldn't help thinking of as _his_ mortal, even though he knew he probably no longer should. He hesitated, unwilling to do more than stare at her and drink in the details for now.

She was evidently preparing for some occasion, clad in a short, tight dress that followed her curves quite delightfully and wearing boots that added several inches to her height. _I'd only have to dip my head a little to kiss her now,_ he thought with a grin before ruthlessly squashing that impulse. Shaking his head he watched as she paused in front of the mirrored dresser and applied paint to her eyes and lips. In the moonlight it had been impossible to make out details like colour, and it had appeared that her hair was dark like his own. This was true, but what he hadn't expected was the streak of vivid crimson that ran from her right temple. The effect was eye-catching and he suddenly found himself wanting desperately to know what colour her eyes were. It was a question that had niggled at him for a while now.

Chiding himself for his nervousness - _she's just a mortal; you barely know her; show some backbone!_ \- he nonetheless waited until she bent to retrieve a dropped brush before stepping forward into the light. She caught sight of him in the mirror as she straightened and dropped the brush again as she spun around with a little shriek of surprise. Summoning his usual mask of arrogance he smiled at her and said quietly, "Hello Karla."

Karla stared at him wide-eyed for a long moment, one hand gripping the edge of the dresser for support. Her eyes were ice blue, he noted, but the swirl of emotion in them meant they couldn't in any way be considered cold. Then he couldn't notice anything more as she launched herself at him with a cry and threw her arms around his neck. As his arms reflexively came up around her and held her to him he felt a sliver of tension drain away even as he silently cursed himself for feeling such relief. Still, having prepared himself for anger and rejection it was wonderful to have her in his arms again. Finally she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up at him with damp eyes. "I thought you weren't coming back," she whispered.

"I wasn't," he admitted, wincing at the flash of hurt in her eyes. And as had happened before, he found himself wanting to explain himself in a way he did to no one else. "When I left, I intended to return," he clarified. "Then I found myself thinking of you. Constantly. Remembering the things we did, the things we talked about. Imagining our next meeting. Thinking about things I wanted to say to you next time I saw you, not to mention the things I wanted to do to you." He couldn't quite keep the smile from his lips at that, and she gave him a small smile in return. He swallowed hard as he continued, "It... discomfited me. I've never been so... obsessed... with someone as I was with you. It felt dangerous, to be prey to such strong sentiment."

"It made you feel vulnerable." Her words were soft and full of too much understanding.

It woke an ache deep inside him and he nodded. "I told myself that it was too risky to return, that I was better off forgetting about you, about the night at the lake. And I tried as hard as I could to forget, believe me."

Karla studied him in silence for a while, and he could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she considered his words. At last she asked, "What changed?"

Loki laughed mockingly and shook his head. "It didn't work. No matter what I tried, as soon as there wasn't something claiming my attention - and occasionally when there was - my thoughts returned to you." He shrugged. "So I decided that since I was obviously already vulnerable I may as well enjoy it." His smile was more confident than he felt, and he couldn't bring himself to reveal even to her that he had fully expected her to summarily throw him out.

Surprising him seemed to be her specialty, however. She stared at him for a moment longer then sighed. "I should be mad at you," she told him. "I was, for a while, when it became obvious you weren't coming back. But I guess part of me never really expected you to. I started thinking of that night as a gift, a time out of time. One night only, no repeat performance. I mean, why would you come back?" She was almost talking to herself now, but she pulled back slightly and gestured to him. "Look at you. You're a prince, a god! You're intelligent, and gorgeous, and powerful, and... and I'm just me. Mortal. Ordinary. Dull."

Loki stared at her in shock, a lump forming in his throat. Anger he had been prepared for, but not this quiet resignation. Not this sense of abandonment. What was worse was that it was all too familiar to him, the feeling that what you were getting was no more than you deserved because you just weren't worth anything more. He'd felt like that for so much of his life, and worked hard to cover it up with arrogance and biting wit. When he compared the woman before him to her confident and daring manner the last time he saw her... His hands tightened around her waist and drew her back to him. "Mortal I'll agree with, but the other two? Hardly. Do you truly think I would have become so fixated on someone dull and ordinary?"

Karla's smile was sad as she pointed out, "I had no reason to believe you'd ever given me another thought until now."

He felt his cheeks warm and ducked his head in acknowledgement. "True. And while I know that an apology is easy enough to give..." He hesitated a moment, then plunged on, "I am truly sorry that I hurt you. I had not given enough thought to the way my actions would affect you." The strange part was, he actually meant it. He could probably count the number of genuine apologies he'd ever given on one hand and still have fingers to spare, but he did honestly regret hurting her. And somehow, in the face of her acceptance and understanding, it didn't feel demeaning or embarrassing to apologise either.

The young woman in his arms blinked in surprise, then her lips quirked with a smile that held a hint of familiar spirit. "Easy enough to give for some, perhaps," she murmured. "Not, I think, for you. Thank you." When his flush deepened she chuckled. "I said before that I should be angry," she admitted. "The truth is, I'm just too damned glad to see you to really be angry with you. Which probably makes me a sad and sorry excuse for independent womanhood, but there you go." She shrugged and traced one finger along the curve of his jaw. "I've missed you, Loki."

If he tried to speak now, Loki knew that his voice would be humiliatingly choked. Instead, he allowed himself to indulge his earlier inclination. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips softly over hers. He could feel her smiling as she responded, following as he made to pull away. That was all the encouragement he needed to claim her mouth for a more serious kiss. He took his time, teasing and exploring until he could feel her clutching at his shoulders for balance as much as to pull him closer and he was feeling a trifle light-headed himself.

When they finally came up for air, Karla's smile was closer to the wicked grin he remembered so well. "I'll have to wear these boots more often when you're around," she said.

"Or I could just pick you up again," he countered with a smirk.

"Don't tempt me."

The words sent a jolt of pure desire right to his core, but he made himself release her when she stepped back. There would be time, and as before he found himself curious to see what she would do next.

What she did next made him laugh: she half-turned towards her dresser, paused, then turned back to look at his face intently for a moment. Nodding in satisfaction as she turned away again, she murmured, "Green."


	2. Two

**Author's note:** Thank you so much for all of the kind and encouraging reviews, despite the lack of updates lately. You guys rock rock my world. And so do all the people who fave/follow but don't review. Just knowing people are enjoying my writings is a huge buzz.

The downside is that I still can't promise any sort of posting reliability. Life is massively busy and complicated and ghastly at the moment and my muse seems to have fled in terror. Wish I could do the same. I will keep plugging away, though, and whenever I manage to get a whole chapter together I'll post. Deal?

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Karla turned back to the dressing table with a host of conflicting emotions churning through her. It was true what she'd told Loki: she _was _glad enough to see him that it was difficult to be angry. Besides, she'd let go of the anger weeks ago. Well, most of it, anyway. It was hard not to feel a little annoyed at the way he'd just vanished after promising to come back. But she'd told him the truth there too: part of her had never truly expected him to come back. Now that he had...

It was difficult to keep from grinning. Hearing him admit that he had been thinking about her all the time, that he was obsessed enough with her to have been frightened by it (although she knew he'd never go so far as to admit that much, it was obvious from the way he'd talked around it) was hugely flattering. It went a long way to dampen that little voice that had been growing louder in her head as the days turned into weeks. The voice that said she shouldn't be surprised, that she wasn't capable of interesting someone like Loki for more than a night's pleasure.

She'd missed that too, she admitted to herself. _Especially after that kiss, dear gods!_ It was very tempting to abandon the evening's plans and just drag him into bed. She glanced at him in the mirror. From the way he was running his eyes over her, she wasn't likely to hear any objections to that idea either. And yet... She smiled at his reflection as she put the finishing touches to her make-up. "You picked a good time to stage your reappearance, though." When he merely raised an eyebrow without commenting, she chuckled. "I did promise you last time to take you dancing, and that's what I was going to be doing tonight. Are you game?"

Loki's eyes glittered at the challenge. "The question is whether you'll be able to keep up," he replied with a grin. Then his expression shifted to one of wary consideration. "Either you were planning to go alone, which doesn't make a lot of sense, or I'm going to be supplanting someone."

"Neither," she replied with a shake of her head. "I'm meeting a friend, yes, but we weren't going as a couple. We'd dance together a bit, and dance with other people a bit, and generally just have fun. But you being with me only changes the fact that I'm more likely to dance mostly with you and sometimes with him." He didn't look entirely pleased by this. Sighing, she walked back to him and draped her arms loosely around his neck once more. She took it as a positive sign when his settled at her waist in response. "What's bothering you, Loki?"

His lips twitched in annoyance. "I'd rather thought to have you to myself tonight."

She combed her fingers gently through his hair as she replied, "You will, eventually. Assuming you don't have to rush off in the next couple of hours or anything?" She raised an eyebrow in query and smiled when he shook his head. "So we go out, have a bite to eat, spend the evening dancing and having fun, you maybe get to make a new friend, and then we come back here and have a little fun of our own. How does that sound?"

"You're sure we can't start at the end of that list and work backwards?" he asked, running his hands teasingly over her hips.

Unable to suppress a shiver of excitement, she still managed to give him a coolly amused look as she said, "You're just trying to distract me so we don't go out."

"Is it working?" He smirked as she shivered again when he trailed a finger up her spine. Laughing, she shook her head and slipped out of his grasp. He gave her a mock pout, then sighed. "I must be feeling guiltier than I realised, to even be considering this." He regarded her seriously for a moment. "Have you considered the advisability of introducing me to this friend of yours?" he asked.

Karla nodded, momentarily uncertain of how much she should say. _Tell him the truth,_ she decided. _He has a right to know, and it avoids any awkwardness later._ "Paul knows about you," she admitted quietly. "About us. I needed someone to talk to, and he's one of the few people I trust enough to be open about something this personal. And one of the few people who knows about my... less-standard abilities. He's also one of the most open-minded people I know, so as long as you don't intend to start a riot in the club or anything, we all should be fine."

Loki's expression was caught somewhere between amusement and chagrin. "I suppose I hadn't really considered that either - that you might talk to others about me. Us." He shook his head, chuckling. "I feel as if I've misplayed this entire hand. And that should be annoying me far more than it is." His brow creased as he said that, but it was true that he didn't actually look annoyed. Surprised, perhaps, but thankfully not annoyed.

Seeking to distract him, Karla replied blandly, "Look at it as an exciting new experience. It's character building." He snorted in response, but the corners of his mouth were twitching as he obviously tried not to smile. Abandoning the scatter of cosmetics on the dressing table, she tucked her phone and credit card into her cleavage so that she wouldn't have to be encumbered with a bag. Noting his amused look, she shrugged. "No pockets in this dress."

"It appears you don't need them," he countered with a grin. "Anything else down there?"

She flashed him a cheeky smile. "If you're good, I'll let you look later."

His eyes glittered with mischief as he pulled her back into his arms and pressed her tightly against him. "You know I can be very, very good, little one," he purred.

Even though he was wearing what looked to be several layers of leather, Karla could feel the growing bulge in his trousers. Her breath caught and her body moulded to his before she was even fully aware of it. Later, she promised herself. Still, she saw no reason to deny herself entirely. The kiss was lingering and sweet, although beneath it was the promise of much more.

When they finally came up for air, she ran her hands down his chest. "You look utterly magnificent in this, I must say. But perhaps a little... ostentatious?" She bit uncertainly at her lower lip as she tried to find the least offensive way of making the suggestion before starting, "I don't suppose you could..."

"Change into something less noticeable?" Loki cut her off with a knowing smirk and she felt herself blush as she nodded. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before releasing her and stepping back. His eyes had a far-away, considering look for a moment, then he was surrounded by a shimmer of green. When it cleared he stood before her in dark trousers and waistcoat over a forest-green shirt. "Is this more to your liking?" he asked with a mocking twist to his lips.

"I never said what you were wearing before wasn't to my liking," she replied quickly. "Quite the opposite, in fact. But this is less likely to get you recognised." Her eyes danced with laughter as his expression cleared in understanding. Reaching up to fuss unnecessarily with his collar, just for the sake of touching him, she added, "You do look gorgeous, though. Although with your looks and poise I suspect you'd look fantastic no matter what you were wearing. Or not wearing, if it comes to that."

He caught her hand and pressed it to his lips. "It's definitely going to come to that," he whispered.

Karla swallowed hard and nodded. "After you dance with me," she insisted, although she was no longer sure if she was convincing him or herself. If his answering smile was resigned rather than enthusiastic... well, she'd just have to see what she could do about changing that. Keeping her hand in his, she tugged him gently out the door of her hotel room.


	3. Three

**Author's note:** I promise this story isn't abandoned. It's just slow. Because I'm slow. Sorry about that, and major thanks to everyone who's sticking with me through this! You're all amazing!

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Loki wasn't entirely sure whether to feel amused or dismayed as he and Karla walked through the city. All of his expectations had been turned upside down and it had thrown him off his game completely. It was good, of course, that his worst-case scenario hadn't eventuated and she hadn't been angry and thrown him out. Better than good, really. But now he had to acknowledge to himself that in the back of his mind had been an idea of how the evening would go if she _had_ welcomed him back. That idea had included the two of them and a bed and a lot less clothing. It hadn't included, amongst other things, spending time making polite conversation with this 'friend' of hers.

And yet... He couldn't help feeling slightly impressed with how neatly she'd outmaneuvered him. He _did_ feel guilty for the pain he'd caused her, and for the way he'd made her doubt herself. She certainly couldn't have predicted that - _he_ couldn't have predicted that! - and yet without doing any so overt as openly playing on it she'd managed to convince him to go along with her plans. He glanced down at her, walking with her arm looped through his and her head high, and smiled. There was also something in the way she was willing, even eager, to be seen publicly with him that was very appealing, he had to admit. Even despite her assurance that no one was likely to realise who he truly was.

He was pulled from his musings when Karla called out, "Hatter!" and waved to someone. Following her gaze, he studied the young man now striding towards them: nothing particularly notable about either height or build, but wearing a tall hat with a large white flower on the brim; a mane of brown curls sticking out from beneath it, and a neatly trimmed beard; dressed in a similar fashion to the way Loki was now dressed, but his waistcoat elaborately patterned in browns and golds; on his face, a grin almost broad enough to take the top of his head off. It was such an infectious grin that Loki found himself smiling in response despite his earlier annoyance with the man.

The smile faded a little as Karla slipped her arm from his and hurried forward to embrace the newcomer. Jaw clenched, he reminded himself that she wouldn't have brought him out just to taunt him with her affections for another man. Not when she had expressed such pleasure in seeing him again, nor when she had promised him a night in her bed once they'd gotten this dinner and dancing out of the way. _She's not like that. Not like_ them.

Karla drew back from the embrace and grinned. "I hope you don't mind, but we've got company for this evening. This is Loki." She turned to include him in her smile, and he forced his taut muscles to relax as she added, "Loki, this is Paul."

The young man's smile, if possible, became even wider. "Loki, huh? No wonder you're looking so cheerful!" He stepped forward and held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Loki." He sounded like it genuinely was a pleasure, too, and Loki found himself relaxing further.

He eyed the proffered hand for a moment, but he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with Midgard's customs. His grip was firm without being bruising and he forced a small smile onto his lips. "A pleasure to meet you too," he replied with more sincerity than he felt. "Although I suspect you rather have the advantage of me."

"Sure that won't last long," Paul replied with a laugh. "Now, how about dinner?"

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So far, the meal hadn't been as uncomfortable as Loki had feared. He had kept quiet mostly, encouraging Karla and Paul to talk about their respective travels. In this way, he learned that they lived in the same city and were both travelling independently - Paul for work and Karla for fun - and had already crossed paths a few times. Whenever they found themselves in the same city, they always met for a meal or a drink and a night out dancing. The longer he watched them, though, the more his jealousy faded. They were both mindful of including him in the conversation, and Karla often reached out to touch him in some small way. The looks she darted his way occasionally went even further to reassure him that her interest was definitely in him rather than her old friend.

What he truly hadn't expected was that the jealousy would be replaced by envy. It was clear that the pair had known each other for some time, and when he asked he was told they had been students together almost a decade earlier at something called a University. It was equally clear that in that time they had shared a lot of fond experiences and developed a great deal of affection and trust for each other. He could understand why Karla had trusted Paul with knowledge of her aptitude for magic, and why she had confided in him about that night at the lake. He found himself wondering what it would be like to have a companion like that.

"So Loki, I have a question for you." He brought his attention back to the table at Paul's words, cocking his head to one side to indicate that the man should continue. "We have a lot of stories here about Asgard and its inhabitants, and the other worlds, and all of that. How much of it is true?"

Loki raised one eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. "Well now, since I don't know what your stories say, how can I answer that? You'll have to give me some specifics." _This should be interesting,_ he thought. He remembered Karla using phrases like 'I don't know how accurate our myths are, but...' and most of what she'd come up with to follow that 'but' had been reasonably accurate. But it had all been about high-level conceptual or cultural things rather than particular events.

Paul and Karla exchanged a look before Paul said, "Well, there was one about you and Thor getting dressed up as women after someone stole his hammer..."

It was difficult not to laugh, especially as it was obvious Karla was struggling not to. Instead, he replied smoothly, "And didn't he just look lovely, too, all clean-shaven and veiled."

Now Karla did laugh, smothering it behind her hand, eyes dancing with merriment. "And what about you?" she asked cheekily.

"I looked better, naturally."

"Naturally," she agreed, while Paul snorted over his beer. "Cheekbones like yours, and all." She ran the back of her hand down his cheek and he turned his head to nip gently at her fingers. "All right, my turn." Her lower lip caught between her teeth briefly. "You don't have to answer this one if you'd rather not. It's kind of personal."

"And the last one wasn't?" Loki asked incredulously.

She blushed. "Well, a different sort of personal. It's just that... our stories say that you have a number of children... And that your arse-hat of a foster-father took them all from you." The eyes that met his were full of nervousness, as though she worried she'd overstepped her bounds.

_And if she had been anyone else, that would be the case,_ he acknowledged silently. Keeping his voice as even as possible, he replied, "I suspect your stories don't quite put it like that, though, do they? I suspect they talk of how it was done for 'the good of Asgard' or somesuch? Because they were monsters?" He couldn't quite keep the bitterness from his tone at that last question.

Karla leaned over and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she whispered. "I should have known better."

Heaving a sigh, he returned her embrace and shook his head. "No, it's fine," he told her. "I'm just not used to people who don't pretend they don't exist."

Across from them, Paul's eyes widened. "So it's true then? About your children and what happened to them?" Loki nodded, and the young man shook his head and whistled through his teeth. "You know, even not knowing anything else about him, I already dislike your fa... sorry, foster-father. It shouldn't matter what they look like, they're your children! And it's obvious from the way you spoke just now that you cared for them."

Loki looked at him with growing respect, both for his words and the fact that he'd followed Karla's lead on the family relationship. Nodding, he replied, "I still do care. Very much."

Pushing herself up from where she was slumped against him, Karla gave him a sad smile and brushed her lips against his. He deepened the kiss for just a moment, wanting to ensure she knew that he wasn't annoyed with her, but mindful of the fact that they weren't alone at the table. Her expression was brighter when she pulled back, so he figured he'd succeeded. With tentative curiosity, she asked, "Do you still see any of them?"

"Sleipnir I see regularly," he admitted. "He's the only one who remained in Asgard, so it's easier, even if I don't have unrestricted access. Fenrir I visit as often as I can, to comfort and heal him." He hesitated, then asked, "You know what became of him?"

Karla swallowed heavily. "Chained up, with a sword wedging his jaws open, because Odin doesn't understand about self-fulfilling prophecies?"

Loki started to nod, then frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Is it true that he was restrained like that because there was a prophecy that one day he'd kill Odin?" When he nodded, she wrinkled her nose. "So Odin has him tied up and basically tortured for what, a few millenia? If that happened to me, and then I managed to get free, you bet your arse the first thing I'm going to want to do is get revenge on the bastard responsible! He's pretty much ensured that there's no chance at all of that prophecy not coming true eventually."

He blinked in surprise. "I... never thought of it like that. It's a good point though. I wonder..." His voice trailed off as he considered the possibility of entreating the Allfather to release Fenrir and focus on securing his affection and loyalty instead. Then he shook his head in annoyance. "Never mind. He won't listen to me anyway. Now where were we?" He had to look away from Karla, and the pain and sympathy in her gaze. He focussed his attention on Paul instead. Or rather, the flower on Paul's hat, since there was too much sympathy in that gaze too. "Hela I see less often. She has her own realm to see to, and for the most part I leave her to it. But I enjoy visiting from time to time. She's a lot like me in many ways, so we can talk easily. I think she enjoys the occasional break in her routine as well."

"I'd like to meet her one day," Karla murmured. Loki started in shock, and instantly her cheeks flamed red and she ducked her head. "Ignore me," she gasped. "I shouldn't have said that out loud."

"Internal monologue, Karla, _in_ternal!" Paul chuckled.

Loki lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss against the fingertips. "I think we've already proven that I can't ignore you, little one, even when I try. And... perhaps one day." She graced him with a brilliant smile, and he returned it before continuing, "And Jormungandr is in this realm, of course. I generally don't see him, as he slumbers for centuries at a time. For which you should all be grateful." His smile turned wry as he added, "His waking tends to be somewhat catastrophic for your world."

Karla shook her head. "Wow. Just... wow. Thank you, though. For answering what was actually a pretty insensitive question, I mean."

He chuckled. "Actually, it's nice to be able to speak of them to people who don't consider them monsters who should... never have been born." He silently cursed himself for the wobble in his voice at that last.

Paul made a sudden slashing gesture with one hand. "Anyone who says that can go screw themselves," he snapped. "There's no one alive who deserves to have that said about them."

Loki startled a little at this vehemence, but when he glanced at Karla she was nodding her agreement. Feeling a lump rise in his throat, he smiled. "Thank you. Both of you." He took a long swallow of his drink, then said, "Now, let's find a more cheerful story, shall we?"

"You tied by the balls to a goat?" Paul slapped his hand across his own mouth the second the words were out, his eyes mortified, while Karla choked on her drink.

"Your definition of cheerful disturbs me," Loki replied with a straight face. He left it hanging like that for a moment, then relented and said with a rueful chuckle, "I don't think I'm ever going to live that one down. But I did achieve my aim."

"The mind boggles!" Karla gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. "Surely there must have been an easier... less painful way? You needed to make her laugh, yes?"

He shrugged. "Possibly. That was just the first thing that came to mind. No, before you ask, I don't know why." His lips curved in a mischievous grin. "On the other hand, I can't say it did my reputation any harm. Rather the opposite in fact."

Her eyes darted downwards for a second and her delightfully wicked smile bloomed. "I don't doubt that for a moment," she murmured.

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**Author's note 2:** Okay, a little aside here. While I've been struggling with this story, I've written a few one-shots featuring Loki and Karla in an attempt to get the creative juices flowing. I've been debating whether I should post them before I finish this story. On the one hand, I can use them to fill the holes in between my actually having new chapters of this story read to post. On the other hand, since they're almost all set after this story, it does sort of seem like giving spoilers to where this is heading.

What do people think? To post, or not to post? (Either way, it probably wouldn't hurt to add me to your "author alerts" - sooner or later, I _will_ be posting more stories in this series!)


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